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Leftover Queen 5/20/2016 9:39:00 PM by: Susan Lyttek

OK, the title probably isn’t apt. I’m sure there are lots of people out there who are better about using things up than I am. But I really, REALLY hate throwing away food.

I mean, we went to a lot of effort growing the crops or earning the money to buy the food. Not to mention the effort to coupon and follow the sales to make all our buying dollars stretch as far as possible.

So whenever I throw away food, I see money, hard-earned money, going into the trash. It makes me freak out more than a little bit. So I want to use everything up as much as I can.

But I can’t just serve leftovers. It might work for lunch, but as a dinner meal…? No way my guys would put up with that. So over the years, I’ve come up with three leftover variations that seem new to my family. Not only that, they often look forward to these leftover renditions.

Muffins. You can make a tasty muffin out of most anything. Some ingredients work better to make a sweet variety, buy others make a delicious savory option. Veggies, bits of aging fruit—including that so-ripe banana that no one would touch in a million years, small remainders of nuts and dried fruit all work together to make a sweet one. Bacon or sausage, cheeses, and other veggies can create a savory one. It all depends on what you have leftover.

Soup or stew. This is my favorite way to use up the dribs and drabs. Meat, gravy, other soups, vegetables galore and even old salad can become a hot and delicious repast. It doesn’t hurt that soup is my lunch of choice. Frozen in individual serving bowls, I can have lunch quickly ready for a week or more.

I love experimenting with these proven ways of using up leftovers. Next week, I’ll highlight the third method, and my family’s favorite, as well as include a few recipes!